Railway-frog



`rection of its enlargement, whereby it act-s as UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL A. STROM, OF AUSTIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE STROM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAI LWAY-FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,689, dated December 3, 1889.

Serial No. 321,629. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AXEL A. STROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Frogs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of railway-frogs in which clamps are employed. as a medium in fastening together the wing and point rails.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for `permitting ready tightening of the parts of' the frog and holding them together.

My improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a horizontal section below the heads of the rails of a frog constructed in accordance with my invention,with parts broken away to display details; Fig. 2, a section i taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, viewed in the direction of the arrows and enlarged; and Fig. 3, a perspective view of one of the keys or wedges for tightening the rails between the clamps.

A is the frog, formed of the wing-rails B and point-rails C, which may be -held apart by means of the usuall filling E or otherwise.

D and D are the clamps for fastening the rails of the frog transversely together, each involving, by preference, the construction clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, comprising a metal bar bent toward its opposite ends edgewise into hook-shaped extremities q and q', conforming to the surfaces of the anges and webs at the outer sides of the wing-rails, the hook q on each, however, being slightly shorter, for a purpose hereinafter explained, than the width of the rail-flange across which it extends, leaving a space between its extremity and the adjacent side of the web.

The clamp D is adjusted to embrace and extend across the base of the frog near its wider end, while the clamp D is similarly adjusted, the adjustment of each involving the forcing thereof against the frog in the `dia wedge, thus causing the clamps to be wedged into position, and as a precaution against their slipping brbecoming displaced by movement toward the tapering extremity of the frog stops r may be provided to confine them, which stops may involve rivets inserted in proper position through the outer flange of one wing-rail, or through that of each wingrail, as shown. The clamps are thus effectively rendered immovable. To tighten the rails in case of their becoming loose, I employ keys F and drive one into the space provided between the hooked extremity q of each clamp and the web of the adjacent wingrail, which thus enters directly between the two said parts, in contradi'stinction to enter-` ing between the rail and a block interposed between it and the clamp, as is practiced in one form of frog known to me, but in which a form of clamp is employed differing from that used with my improved construction of frog. Should the frog become loosened as to its parts, it may be readily and eectually tightened by further driving the keys.`

To obviate the possibility of accidental u loosening or dislodgment of the keys F, I provide them with perforated heads p, or flanges extending at right angles from the widerV ends, and also perforate the hookshaped ends q of the clamps at points that will be in line with the perforations in the heads of the keys when the latter are driven into place, and I fasten each key to its clamp by means of a bolt o, passed through the perforation in each, and secure it in place after it has been driven by means of a nut, preferably in the form of a double or lock nut fn.

Obviously the keys may be provided at both sides of the frog,'and it is within the spirit of my invention to do so. Though provided, as shown, at only one side, they afford ample means for eifecting their purpose.

Bending of the metal bars from which the clamps are formed to produce the hookshaped ends is int-ended as herein used to be generic, in the sense that it does not necessarily imply a bending operation to afford the hook-shaped ends, but is intended to include forging a blank or stamping the clamp out of a suitable blank.

If desired, instead of tightening the rails by driving the keys, the same end maybe ac- ICC complished by driving the clamps upon the keys, When the latter should extend in the opposite direction from that shown, and the stops fr would then be provided in position at the tapering ends of the keys to prevent them f rom slipping. Such modification is intended to be included as Within the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a railway-frog, the combination, with the rails, of clamps D and D', embracing the frog across its base and provided with perforations in their hook-shaped extremities, and keys F, driven between a Wing-rai1 and the adjacent hook shaped extremities of the clamps and provided with perforated heads 1J, and bolts o, passed through the said perforations and secured, substantially as described.

2. A railway-frog A, comprising, in combination, the Wing-rails B and point-rails C, With intermediate filling' or the like, clamps D and D', formed of metal bars bent edge- Wise into the hook-shaped extremities q and q', provided with perforations, the said clamps embracing the frog across its base, stops r, confining` the clamps in their adj usted positions, and keys F, driven between a Wing-rail and the adjacenthook-shaped extremities of the clamps and provided With perforated heads p, and bolts 0, passed through the perforations in the key-heads and clam ps and secured with nuts, the whole being constructed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

AXEL A. STROM.

In presence of- J. NV. DYRENFORTH, M. J. FR'osT. 

